Multi-pass rendering (MPR) is the secret workhorse of all 3D. It allows the artist to produce effects and a wide range of treatments that could not otherwise be created. More importantly, it gives the production team the power to save tremendous amounts of time, and money. Multi-pass techniques are so powerful that it is often said they are more important than the choice of 3D package. There is more than a little truth to that, however Maya adds many tools that make it uniquely suited for industrial strength MPR projects.